Fingers gripped the tree trunk tightly as Qi Yuan’s eyes silently reddened.
Her lips pursed until they turned pale.
Jealousy and inferiority could not be suppressed at all. Qi Yuan hunched over, covering her mouth and nose to make her rapid breathing less noticeable.
If she hadn’t appeared there back then, she wouldn’t have met Shen Ke, and none of this would have happened.
Qi Yuan didn’t need to think to know how ugly she looked at that moment.
No one could watch the person they liked fall into someone else’s arms.
Even if she was so insignificant.
Qi Yuan closed her eyes, turned around, and left. She had come quietly and left just as silently.
[Ding! Protagonist Mental Breakdown Value: 10%]
A notification sound suddenly rang in Shen Ke’s mind. She felt a surge of joy—the task progress bar had finally moved!
Her task this time was to make the protagonist’s mental breakdown value reach 100%.
However, she didn’t know who the protagonist was in each world. The system had only told her that her role in every performance would revolve around the protagonist.
The protagonist was usually an extremely eye-catching existence. In this world, she thought Si Qing fit the bill, but she had spent the most time with Si Qing, and the task progress bar hadn’t budged. Then there was Qi Yuan, but Qi Yuan probably wasn’t it either.
Today, she had declared in front of Qi Yuan that she had become Leigh’s person, but the task progress still hadn’t moved.
Now, she was with Si Qing and this Chi Wan. It was already known that Si Qing wasn’t the protagonist, so the task progress bar must have moved because of Chi Wan!
How could someone suffer a mental breakdown? By watching their lover two-time, of course!
Si Qing, Qi Yuan, Leigh, and the rest were all her catches!
She wasn’t an idiot. She had deliberately cried and acted pitiful. At first, she couldn’t find the protagonist, so she decided to make the most eye-catching people fall for her. The protagonist was definitely among them.
No one could tolerate watching the person they liked two-time. That way, completing the task would be a piece of cake.
After all, she was already a tasker who had experienced two worlds! She wouldn’t fail this time!
The system could see Shen Ke’s inner thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief. Tasker 56417 had entered this world too early, at just twelve years old, while the plot wouldn’t unfold until seventeen. With no points, it couldn’t use world-acceleration items, so the characters’ growth in this world was entirely experienced firsthand by Tasker 56417.
It had been afraid that Tasker 56417 would become too immersed, unwilling to leave or do tasks anymore.
Tasker 56417’s performance was too realistic—even her inner thoughts followed the character’s personality.
Fortunately, it had underestimated Tasker 56417.
The system didn’t say anything. It had never been called in this world and didn’t want to disturb the deeply immersed tasker.
Shen Ke hugged Si Qing’s neck tightly. “She’s still going to settle accounts with me!”
Si Qing hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll make her unhappy for a while.”
Chi Wan’s eyelids twitched. She clenched her fist, her voice cold as ice and chilling to the bone. “Si Qing, you’re really protecting your lackey.”
“So intimate—not an ordinary relationship, is it?”
Si Qing let out a light scoff. “Whether it is or not, what does it have to do with you?”
Chi Wan’s gaze fell on Shen Ke, her eyes flickering. “Little tattletale, tell me—who’s in the wrong, you or me?”
Shen Ke didn’t speak. She stayed nestled in Si Qing’s arms, clinging tightly as if she had finally found someone to rely on.
Si Qing kept staring at her, gently stroking Shen Ke’s smooth hair. Her gaze was cold, carrying a hint of possessively claiming ownership.
Chi Wan’s expression darkened a bit. She didn’t interact much with Si Qing, and she was glad for it.
The way Si Qing looked at her was exactly the same as how that special admission student had looked at her. It was infuriating.
Both the Chi Family and the Si Family were in the top circles, so she wasn’t afraid of Si Qing.
Chi Wan expressionlessly undid the top button of her shirt and pointed to the faint bite mark right in the center of her neck. “This mark is still here.”
“It’s been two days, and it hasn’t faded. Are you trying to kill me?”
Shen Ke had cried so heartbrokenly in her arms, but the moment Si Qing arrived, Shen Ke started hugging and clinging proactively, her sobs much softer.
The moment Shen Ke heard this, she whipped her head around, her cheeks flushing red. “It’s not like you pinched me so hard it hurt.”
“Otherwise, why would I bite you!”
Chi Wan lowered her eyes and said gravely, “Setting everything else aside, you violated the rules first today. As student council president, it’s only natural for me to handle this.”
Shen Ke had no way to refute that. She left Si Qing’s arms and grabbed Si Qing’s finger. She let out a cold huff at Chi Wan. “Fine then. Our grievances cancel out.”
“I won’t hold your yelling against you, and you won’t hold what I did against me.”
Shen Ke blinked, making the decision unilaterally. Seeing Chi Wan fall silent, Shen Ke bit her lip and pulled Si Qing away.
Chi Wan stared at their clasped hands but didn’t stop them.
She pondered one thing: why had she let Shen Ke off so easily?
She had always despised violent people.
That sentiment had only grown stronger with age. She could even say she hated humans, lacking the patience to fake smiles at everyone like Lu Yanbai did.
Humans were vile creatures. Because they had thoughts, they committed all sorts of evil deeds and harbored filthy ideas.
Including her.
She had always known she was slowly turning into an abuser. Once she put on that mask of indifference, she never took it off.
All these years, she had never felt anything unusual toward anyone.
But with Shen Ke, she was more patient and gentle than ever.
She would unthinkingly hoist Shen Ke over her shoulder or hug her close when she sensed Shen Ke’s discomfort.
She had even proactively touched Shen Ke’s lips.
This unfamiliar emotion had come so quickly. She had to admit that the first time she laid eyes on Shen Ke, her heart had pounded fiercely.
That palpitation felt etched into her very soul.
Chi Wan returned to the student council’s exclusive office. The moment she pushed open the door, Lu Yanbai looked at her with a beaming smile.
“Solved?”
Lu Yanbai narrowed her eyes, her smile alluring. “No one confessed. I can’t break bones like you do, so I let them go.”
Chi Wan sat on the sofa and pressed her brow. “What kind of person is Shen Ke?”
Lu Yanbai laughed out loud. “Shen Ke?”
Chi Wan nodded, her indifferent gaze fixed on Lu Yanbai’s eyes. “For someone who fears trouble like you to say ‘handle it yourself,’ she must be extraordinary.”
Lu Yanbai raised a brow. “Exactly. She’s extraordinary enough to make someone like you take her into your arms.”
Chi Wan silently watched Lu Yanbai. Lu Yanbai’s face always bore that unreadable smile—gentle, polite, yet distant.
Chi Wan lowered her eyes, her fingers tapping her thigh in thought.
Lu Yanbai clasped her hands together, elbows on the solid wood desk, and rested her chin on the back of her hand. Her red lips curved upward. “The extraordinary Shen Ke has made my feelings extraordinary too.”
“Maybe she’s the love of my past life.”
“Before I even understood my own heart, my soul recognized her first.”
Chi Wan’s brows furrowed sharply. “What do you mean by that?”
Lu Yanbai tilted her head. “Little Wan, will you help your big sister? Help her get Shen Ke.”
Chi Wan shot to her feet, her gaze icy, her heart twisting painfully from Lu Yanbai’s words. She said gravely, “Lu Yanbai, you’ve been reading too many supernatural stories lately.”
Lu Yanbai covered her lips and chuckled softly. “Little Wan, since when did you become so easy to tease?” Her eyes darkened as she continued, “Chi Wan, I’ve always said we’re alike.”
Chi Wan watched Lu Yanbai expressionlessly.
Lu Yanbai stood and walked over to Chi Wan. She extended her index finger and lightly pressed it to Chi Wan’s forehead—but stopped a centimeter away, not touching skin.
“Our souls are very alike.”
“Perhaps we could even say we’re the same person.”
“Buzz—”
Shen Ke froze. Was that an illusion just now? It felt like the world had paused for an instant.
Even the air seemed to vanish.
But that strange sensation only lasted a moment.
Shen Ke gripped Si Qing’s cold fingers and stared unwaveringly at Si Qing’s profile.
Si Qing noticed and turned her head to look at Shen Ke. “What’s wrong?”
Shen Ke blinked. It must have been her imagination. She puffed out her cheeks. “Si Qing, why did you come to school?”
Si Qing stopped walking and straightened Shen Ke’s hair. “Because I wanted to see you.” Coming to school had been the right decision—otherwise, Shen Ke would have had no one to rely on.
Si Qing’s gaze fell on the black gem brooch pinned to Shen Ke’s chest, and she frowned slightly. “Is that Leigh’s?”
Shen Ke immediately broke into a proud smile. She let go of Si Qing’s hand and pointed proudly at the brooch she wore. “I’m now Leigh’s most trusted little follower.”
“She put all her other followers under my management.”
Si Qing’s brows furrowed slightly, a trace of displeasure crossing her sickly face. “Shen Ke, don’t get too involved with her.”
“Wearing mine is enough.”
Shen Ke huffed, shooting Si Qing an unhappy glare. “You used to hang out with her every day.”
Shen Ke lowered her head and kicked at the grass by the roadside, feeling a bit aggrieved. “You ignored me back then and wouldn’t seriously listen when I spoke, but you made time to talk to Leigh.”
Si Qing pursed her lips and hooked her pinky finger around Shen Ke’s. “I’m sorry.” The things she had done were like thorns piercing her flesh, tormenting her every moment.
“Sorry” was so hollow, but what else could she do for Shen Ke?
She didn’t even have a healthy body—she couldn’t even take Shen Ke out of the city for fun.
Her inferiority over her frail body had led her to hurt Shen Ke, bringing her unspeakable pain.
That pain was long and immense. From the moment she had treated Shen Ke coldly, the seed had been planted. Over time, that seed of pain fermented and grew into a towering tree, its roots burrowing deep into her heart. Until one day, she realized she had made the wrong choice from the start—the pain bore fruit that dripped into her very marrow.
“Shen Ke, do you hate me a lot?”
Shen Ke looked up at Si Qing and slowly shook her head. “Si Qing, I’ve never hated you.”
“I just resented why you suddenly turned bad.”
“Really bad.”
Shen Ke looked at Si Qing and pointed to her own heart. She said softly, “It made this hurt so much.”
Si Qing’s entire body trembled at the straightforward words.
Her already slender frame swayed unsteadily. Her eyes reddened, and tears slid gently from the corners. “I’m sorry.”
Shen Ke shoved her hands in her pockets, wrinkled her nose, and pouted disdainfully. “Si Qing, you’re so stubborn. I didn’t even bring it up!”
Shen Ke pulled out a tissue and clumsily wiped Si Qing’s tears. “No more crying, or you’ll faint from lack of oxygen.”
“So stingy—crying so much.”
Si Qing grasped Shen Ke’s wrist, closed her eyes, and greedily rubbed against Shen Ke’s hand. “Mm, I won’t cry.”
She liked Shen Ke so much it drove her mad. Though she wanted to fight for her, the moment she saw Shen Ke, she shrank back.
How could a sickly weed like her give Shen Ke happiness?
She probably couldn’t even sustain a kiss for long.
“Sometimes I really just want to die.” Si Qing murmured. No waking, no pain—dying with all her love for Shen Ke intact.
The words were too soft and faint for Shen Ke to catch clearly, but the sadness in Si Qing’s eyes was too profound. Shen Ke thought for a moment, then reached out and hugged Si Qing, patting her back gently just as Si Qing had once done for her. “I’m not that stingy either.”
“You’ve realized your mistake. From now on, you have to be good to me forever to make up for it, got it?”
“So no more crying.” Shen Ke nodded to herself after she said it—it sounded so magnanimous.
Shen Ke patted a few times and let go. Seeing Si Qing still tearing up, she put on a serious little face and said fiercely, “No crying! Now go buy me a hot drink—the most expensive one!”
Si Qing nodded gently and led Shen Ke to sit on a bench. In a hoarse voice, she said, “Wait here for me.”
Shen Ke crossed her arms and nodded, then waved at Si Qing. “Go on.” It was like shooing away a little dog.
Si Qing’s light-colored eyes, soaked by tears, were crystal clear, hiding boundless sorrow within.
Her pale lips, deathly white skin, and light-colored long hair, along with her emaciated frame, made her seem more like a specter than a living person.
Si Qing left, and Shen Ke sat on the bench, spreading out her palm. Si Qing was so thin—she could clearly feel the vertebrae of her spine, one by one. There was no meat left on her face either; her illness seemed even more severe.
In truth, she had never known what illness Si Qing suffered from. From the moment she first met Si Qing, she had always been sickly.
Not long after, Si Qing returned with the hot drink.
Shen Ke stood up and parted her lips, her intention obvious.
Si Qing held the straw to Shen Ke’s lips. “Drink it. I ordered a warm one.”
Shen Ke took a sip, sweetness filling her mouth. She looked up to find Si Qing’s gaze fixed on her lips.
Shen Ke pushed the hot drink back, looking somewhat disgusted. “It’s not good. You drink it.”
Si Qing lowered her eyes and gently bit down on the straw Shen Ke had just used. “I’ll go buy you a new one.” As she spoke, Si Qing suddenly coughed violently, and the hot drink in her hand spilled everywhere.
Shen Ke frowned, grabbed Si Qing, and turned to head for the infirmary.
But Si Qing stopped her. “I’ll just go to the rest room and sleep for a bit.”
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